


Metal Casts and Memory Loss

by BlackDawnRose



Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-03-27 08:21:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13876944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackDawnRose/pseuds/BlackDawnRose
Summary: A vicious attack leaves Owen with amnesia and Ianto with two shattered arms. Neither can return to work until they recover so how will they pass the time? With no Jack to look after him how will Ianto cope without the use of his arms? When Owen can't remember anyone from Torchwood except Ianto and Tosh how will that change him? Read and find out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, it's been a long time. I tell you what this motherhood gig keeps you busy. I have two now, how crazy is that! Anyway this little gem has been sitting on my computer for a while and I found it while I was going through my files. I thought I'd post up a little bit and see if there's any interest out there. I know Torchwood is a bit in the past now and this pairing isn't an overly popular one, butI enjoyed writing it so I hope you enjoy reading it. Let me know what you think and if you'd like to see more :)
> 
> I do not owen Torchwood or any of it's fabulous characters, I'm just playing with them and promise to put them back when I'm done :)

Ianto trudged along the deserted street toward the pub. It was cold out and most people were in doors keeping warm but Ianto barely noticed; he was too distraught. Jack didn't want him. After everything they'd been through and all the time they'd been together Jack had just thrown him away.

Well, that wasn't entirely true.

Jack had been just as upset about the whole thing as Ianto and he had a legitimate reason for why he was ending things between them. It wasn't that he didn't care about Ianto, he definitely did, he just couldn't love him the way he thought Ianto deserved and he felt it was cruel to continue their relationship when he couldn't be what Ianto needed.

Ianto had told Jack it didn't matter, that he didn't honestly expect his life to last long enough to allow him the chance to find true love anyway, but Jack had been adamant and things had ended. Ianto had told the other man that he understood and it was okay, but of course it wasn't. Ianto was hurt and upset, without Jack what reason did he have to go on living? After Lisa's death Jack was all he had and now he had nothing. What a pathetic mess his life had become.

He reached the pub and stomped inside making his way immediately towards the bar. "I'll have the strongest thing you've got," he told the bar man as he sat down and the guy disappeared to get his drink. Ianto stripped off his outer jacket and dropped it on the seat beside him as the bar man returned with his drink. He thanked the man and downed it before asking for another before said man could disappear to serve someone else. The man gave him an understanding look and immediately poured two more before heading further down to serve someone else.

"Good man," Ianto praised, picking up one of the drinks and downing it as he had the first. He thought about doing the same with the third but decided against it, nursing it between his hands instead. His thoughts flew to Jack but he immediately pushed them aside in favour of trying to figure out what he was going to do now. If he and Jack were nothing anymore he really had no reason to stay at Torchwood. When Jack had disappeared with the doctor a few months ago he'd had the same thought, but that time something had changed his mind. For a moment his mind wandered back to that fateful night, but just like before he snapped it back to the present. Why cause himself more pain than he was already feeling.

Ianto sighed, it hadn't meant anything anyway so dwelling on it was pointless. Still, at the time it had been so nice to feel wanted, even if he'd always known it wouldn't last.

"Ianto?"

He cringed at the sound of that voice and almost didn't respond. ""What, Owen?" he grumbled.

"What are you doing here, waiting for Jack?" The Doctor asked in his normal condescending tone.

Ianto sighed; he really wasn't in the mood for this. "Go away, Owen," he growled, taking another sip of his drink.

Ianto heard the stool beside his scrape on the floor and the next time Owen spoke his voice was a lot closer. "What's wrong, Ianto?" he asked, in a voice that sounded so much like it had that first night after Jack's departure that it made Ianto want to cry.

He pushed the stool back and stood up, throwing some cash down on the bar as he went. "Leave me alone, Owen," he snapped, grabbing his Jacket and heading for the door.

"Ianto!" Owen called after him but he kept going, he wasn't going to let himself get sucked in like he had last time. He managed to get out on to the street before Owen caught up to him.

"Ianto, wait, what happened?" the Doctor asked grabbing his arm.

Ianto reefed his arm out of the Londoner's hold. "Fuck off, Owen!" he snapped angrily, "It's not like you give a fuck anyway!" He threw his coat on and headed down the road toward his apartment.

"Ianto, stop!" Owen called and Ianto heard him jogging to catch up with him. "What did he do?" Owen asked, leaping in front of Ianto and blocking his path.

"Owen, I don't want to talk to you, just go away, I'm not your fucking problem!" Ianto hissed the words he'd heard barely two months ago before pushing past the other man and continuing on his way home, Owen's footsteps echoing behind him.

"Ianto!"

Ianto walked three blocks and the doctor was still behind him, trying to get him to stop, he heard Owen jog to catch up again and was trying to decide whether to turn around and deck him or run away when a loud noise coming from an alley up ahead made him pause. Owen caught up to him and started to say something but Ianto motioned for him to be quiet. Another bang sounded from the alley and Ianto crept closer, glad he still had his gun hidden in his pants. He crouched down and pulled it out of the holster strapped to his ankle. Maybe he was being paranoid, but he did work for Torchwood after all, and somehow he had a bad feeling about this. He heard Owen cock his gun and the Londoner was right behind him, leaning in closer to the alley like Ianto was to see what he could hear.

For a few moments everything was silent and they crept closer, guns at the ready. Then Ianto heard it, a long soft growl. He felt Owen grab his shoulder softly and he knew the Londoner had heard it too.

"We should call it in," Owen whispered in his ear.

Ianto nodded, that hadn't sounded like a weevil or even a dog. He and Owen were backing as quietly as they could away from the alley when suddenly, something grabbed Ianto and reefed him forward into the alley.

XX

Jack paced from one end of the conference room to the other growing more and more impatient with each passing moment. He'd been trying to get in touch with Ianto and Owen for the past few minutes and neither of them were answering. For Owen that wasn't so strange, but for Ianto … yes they'd split up only a few hours ago, but Ianto wasn't the kind of person to ignore his phone calls because of a bad mood; he knew Torchwood came first.

With an angry growl he snatched his phone up from the conference table where he's tossed it after the last time he'd tried Ianto and hit the Welshman's speed dial again. He hit the button for speaker and tossed the phone back down on the table so he wasn't tempted to throw it if Ianto didn't answer again. After a few rings there was a click to indicate Ianto had answered and just as Jack was about to demand where he was the Welshman's voice came through the phone loud and clear.

"HELP!"

Jack froze for less than a moment before ordering Tosh to trace the call. She rushed to comply just as they heard the Welshman's voice come through the phone again.

"OWEN! OWEN YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP! YOU HAVE TO GET AWAY! OWEN WAKE UP! OWEN!" A sickening snap came through the phone followed immediately by Ianto's pain-filled scream.

"Tosh!" Jack called out to his computer genius.

"I've got the coordinates, sending them through to the SUV now," Tosh called, leaping out of her chair and heading for the door.

Jack snatched up the phone and followed her. "IANTO, CAN YOU HEAR ME? IANTO!" He called into the small black phone. Gun shots echoed through the speaker just moments before the line went dead. "IANTO, IANTO!" Jack called again. When he got no reply he threw the phone in his pocket and leapt into the SUV allowing the GPS to lead him to wherever his missing personnel were.

They flew through the streets, screaming to a stop beside an alleyway where the GPS said Ianto and Owen should be. As they approached a circle of light from an overhanging streetlamp illuminated two figures, one was lying on his back barely moving, the other was kneeling over him, seemingly tending to the fallen man. As they got closer they could easily tell that the man on the ground was Ianto while the other was Owen.

"Owen, Ianto!" Jack called as he approached only to stop short when Owen turned around and pointed a gun at his head.

"Who the hell are you?" the doctor demanded, holding the gun aloft with one hand while the other remained on Ianto.

"What?" Jack demanded.

"I said who the hell are you?" Owen repeated.

"Owen this is no time for games!" Jack growled angrily. He couldn't see Ianto properly from where he was and he was worried sick about the young man.

"And I'm not playing any. I am not letting you near him until you tell me who you are!" Owen snarled.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the prologue was pretty short I've posted chapter one as well. Hope you enjoy it.

Ianto floated in a haze of pain, completely unaware of anything going on around him. After a while the pain deadened and faded somewhat and he was pretty sure he'd lost consciousness because the next thing he knew he heard voices talking around him.

_"_ _We need more blood; he's losing too much blood."_

_"_ _Go faster people we're losing him."_

_"_ _Make sure the operating theatre's prepped, we need to get him in and under as quickly as we can."_

_"_ _Yes, Doctor."_

_"_ _Mr. Jones, can you hear me? Ianto?"_

He tried to answer the other man but all he could come out with was part of the question currently burning in his mind despite his current predicament.

"Owen?"

Was the doctor okay? Had he gotten away? Or had the monster had it's fun with Ianto and killed him?

"Owen?" he asked the question again. "Is he okay?" he wasn't sure if his words were making sense but the voice answered him.

_"_ _Mr Harper is fine, Mr Jones, you need to be worrying about yourself."_

Ianto let out a sigh of relief, a small smile spreading across his face. He might be going to die but at least Owen was okay. That was the last thought that went through his mind as consciousness abandoned him.

_"_ _Mr Jones! Mr Jo…"_

_XX_

_"_ _I don't care what you say, you're not in charge of me and if I want to stay I'll stay."_

_"_ _Owen, you're not yourself, you need to let the Doctors have a proper look at you; you can't even remember who I am for god's sake! And I think you'll find that yes, I am in charge of you."_

_"_ _Not according to my brain, and I'm not leaving. When he wakes up and I know he's okay I will let the wacko UNIT doctors look at me, but not before, I'm staying here!"_

_"_ _Owen you don't even like Ianto!"_

_"_ _How the hell would you know? You don't even know me!"_

_"_ _Once again I think you'll find I do."_

_"_ _I'm staying, Gwen, if that's really what your name is, and there's nothing you can do about it."_

_"_ _Owen I-"_

"Oy! Would you stop arguing! You're really loud and I'm trying to sleep!" Ianto interrupted the argument going on beside his bed.

" _Ianto_ ," both voices addressed him at once and he opened his eyes to find Gwen and Owen standing beside the bed looking down at him. He was slightly disappointed, but not really surprised, to find Jack absent. He was a little surprised that Tosh wasn't there though.

"How are you feeling?" Owen asked.

"Dizzy … lightheaded … sore … a little hungry … thirsty, definitely thirsty, but I'll live … I think," Ianto replied groggily. "How about you?" he asked in return.

"I'm fine," Owen replied with a soft smile. "Been worried about you though, you were hurt pretty badly."

"Oh my god!" Gwen exclaimed. "Owen what the hell is wrong with you? You hate Ianto!"

"I. Do. Not!" Owen snarked back, enunciating every word.

"OWEN-!"

"HEY!" Ianto yelled as loud as he could, interrupting Gwen before she could get far. "I may not know where we are exactly, but from the looks of it we're in a hospital of some kind and you don't yell in hospitals," he berated. "I also have a monster of a headache and you are not helping. Now be quiet or get out!"

Gwen huffed and stalked out of the room, Owen went to follow her but Ianto stopped him.

"I was talking to her not to you," he said softly. "I want to know what happened. Where am I exactly? Why am I in here? How come you don't know who she is? And why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" he asked.

"Why is everybody so surprised by that?" Owen asked sounding annoyed.

"Because you don't like me, Owen, you're always calling me names and putting me down, I can't remember the last time you said something to me that wasn't insulting," Ianto replied.

He was more than a little surprised when he saw guilt flash across Owen's face and the Doctor looked down. "I'm sorry, I don't remember," he replied quietly. "They told me I must have hit my head because I can't remember much of anything. I know I'm Owen Harper, I know I'm a doctor, I know I'm 29 years old and I grew up in London, I remember that my mother hated me and sent me off to boarding school the moment my father died. Apart from that I remember you and I remember Tosh, but just who you are and the mental associations I have with you, that's it. I don't remember Jack or whatever his name is or that Gwen woman, I don't remember this Torchwood they're going on about, none of it."

"Oh, Owen, I'm sorry, you must be so freaked out right now," Ianto said quietly, immediately feeling bad for the doctor.

"Well I am and I'm not," Owen confessed, looking up at Ianto once more. "Honestly the only thing I've really been freaked out about is you. You've been out of it quite a while and your injuries were extensive, I really thought you were going to die for a moment there." The doctor moved over to the bedside and placed a gentle hand over Ianto's, "I'm really glad you're okay," he confessed quietly. "Whatever I used to do or say … I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, I won't do that again."

"Okay," Ianto replied, not sure what to make of the young doctor's actions.

Owen gave him a small smile. "Do you remember what happened?" he asked gently.

Ianto shook his head, he really had no idea.

"Me neither, but then that's not surprising," Owen replied with an ironic half smile. "What's the last thing you do remember?" he asked.

Ianto thought about it, the most recent memory that popped into his head was… "Going to bed last night … well … I think it was last night … Tuesday night," he replied.

"Well, It's Saturday now," Owen informed him.

"Oh," was all Ianto could say back.

"Yeah it's a bit like that," Owen replied. "I know we were attacked, I shot the creature responsible for our current predicament, it was huge and frightening, I can't believe the gun killed it, I must have just hit it in the right spot. Anyway, I guess it doesn't matter, it's dead now. I was checking on you when Jack and the others showed up and not long after that UNIT showed up, apparently the creature that attacked us was something they lost," he explained, pulling a face at the last bit. "They brought you here to be treated, since I was deemed incapable due to my memory loss. Jack yelled at them all the way here and I don't think he's stopped yelling at people since we arrived."

Ianto chuckled slightly at that.

"And up until now we've just been waiting for you to wake up. The UNIT types want to scan my head and Jack wants them to as well, they're worried I might have permanent damage or something. Personally I don't want them anywhere near my head, I may not remember who they are but my gut is telling me not to trust them. Unfortunately I have been told Jack's our boss so I have to do what he says," Owen continued.

"Unfortunately yes he is," Iantp confirmed. "But don't worry, he won't let them hurt you, he's usually pretty good like that."

"I hope so," Owen said quietly, looking down at his hands. After a few moments he looked up at Ianto once more and said. "Ianto, there's something you should know."

Ianto didn't at all like the tone in Owen's voice. "What?" he asked warily.

"Your arms," Owen began and Ianto immediately looked down at his arms.

"Oh my god!" he cried, horrified by what he saw.

His arms were completely covered in metal. There were tubes sticking out of them everywhere, lights flashing from panels on the surface and when he tried to move them, nothing happened. He felt himself beginning to panic, what the hell had the UNIT wackos done to him? His arms looked like they had been replaced by…

"Cyberman," he heard himself cry, his heart racing in his chest. "Get it off me, get it off me!" he screamed, struggling to move. He didn't want a single piece of those monsters anywhere near him.

"Ianto, Ianto," he vaguely heard Owen calling his name and he turned wild, frightened eyes on the doctor.

"What the hell have they done to me?" he cried, tears blurring his vision.

"Ianto it's okay, calm down, it's okay," Owen said soothingly as the room suddenly began to fill with people.

"What have they done to me, Owen?" he sobbed, the fingers of his left hand -the only thing he could move at the moment- gripping the doctor's hand tightly.

"Mr Jones, I'm doctor Moore," he heard a voice say from the other side of him. "You were brought in with extensive damage to both of your arms and drastic measures had to be taken to save you and your limbs."

"Owen," he looked pleadingly up at the doctor once more. "Owen please tell me what's going on?" he pleaded.

"Doctor Harper is not qualified to answer that question right now, Mr Jones; he isn't in his right state of mind. You will direct any questions you have to me," Doctor Moore spoke again.

Ianto ignored him his eyes never leaving Owen's. The young doctor opened his mouth to speak but Doctor Moore interrupted him.

"You will direct any questions you have to me Mr Jones," he repeated.

Ianto finally turned his attention away from Owen and looked Doctor Moore straight in the eye. "Fuck. Off!" he snarled each word slowly and clearly. "You are not my doctor and I don't want to hear anything you have to say; now get out and take the rest of them with you."

"Mr Jones-" Doctor Moore began.

"You heard him, get out," Owen interrupted the man, repeating Ianto's earlier words.

"Mr Harper, you have no say over what goes on here. This is a UNIT hospital and I-"

"It's Doctor Harper, DOCTOR!" Ianto interrupted the other man. "And he is my doctor and I want him treating me not you. He is not incapable of caring for me, on his worst day he's a better doctor than any of you who reside in this psychotic chop shop, now get out!"

Doctor Moore looked like he was about to argue, but another voice interrupted him.

"I suggest you do as he says, Doctor," the American voice instructed as Captain Jack Harkness waltzed into the room and fixed the doctor with a stare that only a complete moron would question.

Thankfully for Doctor Moore he wasn't quite that stupid.

As soon as he was gone Jack closed the door behind him and turned his attention to Ianto who was still gripping tightly to Owen but felt a hell of a lot calmer with his captain in the room.

He took several deep, calming breaths before saying, "Thank you," quietly to the Jack. He then turned his attention back to Owen "What happened to my arms? What have they done to me?" he asked.

"The creature that attacked us, well … it crushed your arms, Ianto, there's no gentle way to say it," Owen replied softly. "Because UNIT were responsible for the creature they offered a way for us to save your arms and since you couldn't answer we agreed for you. Before you say anything or get upset again they're not cyberman arms, I know they might look a little creepy but they're nothing to do with the cybermen, I promise you. It's a technology UNIT have created to reform damaged bones. It's a long and complicated description but the basic idea behind it is that the technology finds all the shards of bone and repositions them into their proper places, coating them in a special, super strength, metal alloy to strengthen them and keep them in position while they heal. Any bones or parts of bones that are too damaged to use or can't be found are replaced by the same metal alloy. Once the bone is reformed or replaced the cast starts to reform your muscles around the metal and when they're all back in place the cast is removed and replaced with another one. It's still metal but smaller and more light weight, more like a conventional cast; it keeps your arm immobile so the bones can knit together properly. While it's doing that your skin and nerves reform and once that's done you're healed and it comes off completely. You'll be back to normal … well, almost anyway, apparently you'll be stronger," Owen finished.

Ianto studied the doctor for a moment. "And that's it?" he asked.

"Yep, that's all," Owen agreed.

Ianto nodded, "Okay, I feel a little better now, thank you, Owen" he said quietly. And he did; he hadn't meant to panic at the start it had just happened, but he definitely felt better now.

"That's okay," Owen replied softly. "I'm sorry; I was trying not to freak you out. I guess I didn't do a very good job."

Ianto shook his head. "No it's okay, that wasn't your fault," he absolved the doctor. "Really there was no way I wasn't going to freak out after seeing that."

Owen gave him a soft smile and gently squeezed his hand.

"Wow, Gwen wasn't wrong, you really aren't yourself." The pair looked over at Jack who was watching Owen with a surprised expression on his face. "I mean the memory loss I can understand, but this is like a complete personality overhaul. You really need to have your head scanned, Owen."

"But, Jack," Ianto began.

"No, that's an order," Jack interrupted. "I promised him he could wait until you woke up before I'd make him go, a strange request in and of itself, but I figured he is your doctor and he may just want to make sure you're okay so I didn't worry too much, but this … I'm sorry, Owen, but I'm really concerned about you," Jack finished, turning his attention to Owen at the last part.

"Jack you hate UNIT, why would you hand Owen over to them?" Ianto asked concerned. "Right now I'm more worried about your mental state."

Jack shook his head. "I'm not letting UNIT have him, Ianto, I just want Martha to take a look at him. I know her, she's a good woman and she'll take good care of him. And after that last comment I might have you both scanned just to be on the safe side."

Ianto glared at the captain. "Don't be stupid, Jack," he growled quietly.

Jack pulled a face at him, "I wasn't being serious, Ianto. You've already been scanned in every possible way, I made sure of it."

"Great, so I've already had some UNIT wacko poking around in my head, wonderful," Ianto griped.

"Oh don't worry, Mr Jones, I didn't poke too hard." Ianto looked up to see a dark skinned woman in a doctors coat walk through the door. She smiled at Jack before turning her attention to Owen. "Are you ready for our little date, Doctor Harper?" she asked sweetly.

"It seems I have no choice in the matter, Doctor Jones," Owen replied grimly, turning to Ianto and squeezing his hand gently. "I'll see you soon," he said softly before heading out of the room.

"Don't worry I'll return him in one piece," the woman Ianto guessed was Martha reassured Ianto before following Owen out of the room.

Gwen walked through the door as she was leaving and told Jack Tosh wanted to see him about something.

The captain made sure Ianto was okay before promising to come back and heading off to find Tosh.

Gwen gave Ianto a smile and moved to sit down beside the bed. "How are you feeling, any better?"

"Fine," Ianto replied. "Sorry for yelling at you before." He was and he wasn't but it didn't matter, he needed her to be okay with him so he could ask her to do something.

"That's okay," Gwen replied, giving his leg a gentle pat. "You'd just woken up, I understand."

Ianto nodded. "So where's Tosh?" he asked curiously.

"Jack asked her to investigate the technology UNIT used on you, make sure there are no bugs. She seems pretty confident that it's all on the level," Gwen replied reassuringly.

Ianto nodded again before asking. "Gwen, do you think I could get you to do something for me?" he asked.

Gwen looked surprised but she immediately replied, "Of course, love, what is it?"

"Martha just took Owen down to scan his head. I know she's a friend of Jack's but I don't trust UNIT as far as I could throw anything right now, which is not at all. You're a police officer, Gwen, you're good at getting answers -his polite way of saying she was a snoop-, could you go and keep an eye on him, please?" he asked.

She smiled at him, looking all too pleased with herself, and nodded. "Of course I can, love," she replied. "I'll head down there right now."

"Thank you," he replied.

"No problem, you get some rest hey," she said before getting up and heading for the door. "Don't worry, I'll bug the hell out of her," she added as she left the room. He imagined she would too.

He had nothing against Gwen aside from the whole sleeping with Owen thing while she had a boyfriend –he personally frowned upon cheating– but right now he just wanted to be alone and process everything and he was really worried about Owen. Jack hated UNIT and Ianto had learnt a long time ago that Jack's instincts were usually right when it came to such things.

Jack … why did he feel like crying whenever he thought of the other man? He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the feeling, hoping it would spark a memory, which unfortunately it did. So they weren't together anymore, well, he'd be lying if he said it surprised him. At least Jack had let him down gently. Wanting to distract himself from those thoughts he racked his brain trying to remember anything else that had happened over the last few days. When nothing came to him he gave up and turned his attention to his current predicament.

He looked down at his arms and made another attempt to move them. He managed a few fingers on his left hand but nothing at all on his right, which caused him to smile and frown at the same time –yes Ianto can do that-. He knew Gwen was right, he needed to rest, but the moment he closed his eyes all he could think about was the fact that he was in a UNIT hospital and that anyone could come in and do anything they wanted to him while he was out. Unfortunately the thought then occurred to him that with his arms the way they were anyone could come in and do anything they wanted to him anyway and he suddenly regretted sending Gwen away. That thought immediately vanished when he thought of Owen.

He lay there for what felt like hours before the sound of footsteps heading toward his room drew his attention to the door and he watched warily until Tosh and Jack came into his line of sight. He sighed in relief and smiled at Tosh as she came over and gave him a hug.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here before," she apologised quietly.

"No that's okay," he replied. "Gwen told me what you've been up to."

"Where is Gwen?" Jack asked.

"She's watching Martha scan Owen's brain and hopefully making a pain of herself," Ianto replied.

Jack gave him a stern look. "Did you send her down to spy on Martha?" he asked.

"Yes I did," Ianto replied without a hint of regret. "I'm sorry, Jack but this is UNIT, god knows what they might be planning."

Jack sighed. "Yeah, I suppose you're right," he agreed, flopping down into a chair next to Ianto's bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I don't feel much," Ianto replied. "I'm guessing they've got me drugged up pretty good."

"Apparently yes," Jack agreed.

"Otherwise I'm … well I'm freaked out, Jack, when can I leave?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Jack replied. "They haven't really told us yet."

"Well could you find out, please?" Ianto asked with only a slightly pleading edge to his voice. "Wink at one of the nurses or something."

Jack chuckled slightly. "Are you asking me to flirt your way out of here?" he asked jovially.

"I'm begging you to get me out of here, I don't care how," Ianto replied and it was only then that Jack seemed to grasp just how frightened Ianto was.

"Hey," he said gently, reaching forward to take one of Ianto's hands. "What's wrong?" he asked, and it was only then that Ianto realised he was crying.

"I don't like it here, Jack," Ianto admitted. "I don't trust these people. I am completely incapable of protecting myself from anything they want to do to me and it's scaring me. Please get me out of here, please, I know you can," he pleaded tearfully.

"Hey, it's okay," Jack reassured him, reaching forward to take Ianto's face gently in his hands. "I'm not going to leave you alone, I promise, as long as you're in here I'll be here with you."

"You can't promise that," Ianto replied. "If there's an emergency you're going to have to go and you and I know it. Besides, I don't think us being alone together is such a good idea right now do you?" he asked sadly.

He saw the captain's expression become one of sorrow. "Ianto, I-"

"It's okay," Ianto interrupted. "It hurts, but I understand why you did it. I'm upset, but not with you, I'm glad you were honest with me. But I need space right now; I need time away from you to get over it. I know it's going to be hard but it has to be, you know it does."

Jack's eyes swam with tears but he nodded. Standing up he wrapped his arms around Ianto and held him tightly. "I'm sorry," he whispered, kissing Ianto gently on the top of his head.

"It's okay," Ianto replied, allowing his own tears to fall.

"I'm going to miss you so much," Jack sobbed quietly. "But I understand you needing time away from me. Can you just promise me something?" he asked.

Ianto nodded against Jack's chest.

"When you're okay again come back to me, please," he pleaded quietly.

"Always," Ianto promised. "I'll never leave you, Jack, not while my heart still beats."

He heard Jack sob quietly and yearned to wrap his arms around the immortal man and offer him whatever comfort he could, but of course that was impossible. "I wish I could hug you, Jack, but I'm kind of stuck here," he said, eliciting a quiet chuckle from the captain.

"I know it's okay, I'll come and claim a decent hug when you've recovered," Jack replied, pulling back to look at Ianto.

"I love you," he said quietly leaning forward to kiss Ianto's forehead.

"I love you too," Ianto replied quietly.

Jack closed his eyes and leant his forehead against Ianto's and for the longest time they just stayed that way. When they finally parted Ianto knew it would be the last time he would allow himself to be that close to the immortal man for a long time. Jack gave him a watery smile and after taking a deep breath to calm himself headed out to talk to the nurses.

"Goodbye, Jack" Ianto whispered after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Jack and Ianto have parted amicably, I honestly hate stories where Jack is an ass without a good reason. Anyway, now we're free to move on to more of the story. If you're interested in more please review and let me know.
> 
> Love you all
> 
> Kayla


	3. Assistance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, I was pleased to see people enjoying this story and wanted to post up a bit more. Hope you like it.

 

Ianto glared up at the plate on the top shelf of his cupboard. It was just sitting up there, out of his reach, mocking him. “I hate you,” he snarled at it and could almost imagine it laughing at him.

Jack had sweet talked the nurses into letting him leave the day after he’d woken up, which meant he’d only had to stay in the UNIT hospital one more night. Jack had kept his promise not to leave Ianto alone, but he’d stayed away until Ianto was about to go to sleep. When he’d woken up the following morning Jack had helped him get home and into his flat only leaving after Ianto promised he’d call in to Torchwood if he needed help -he had no intention of doing so-. Their goodbye had been brief, it had to be.

It was now the next day and Ianto was learning what he could and couldn’t do with his arms. His left hand and arm could move somewhat, which he was grateful for as it meant he could still take care of personal necessities. Unfortunately his movement was severely limited, something he was now struggling with as he tried to reach the plate which should have been within easy reach just above his head.

Movement wasn’t the only thing he was having trouble with either. While he had been in hospital he’d been about as heavily medicated as he could be without permanent harm befalling him. Before the Doctors had sent him home they’d pumped him full of more drugs to keep him going for the rest of the day and loaded up a compartment in the metal casts on both of his arms with as much as they could fit in them. They came linked to a button which he could press if he began to feel any pain and thankfully his limited range of movement allowed him to do that without an issue. Unfortunately it would only dispense so much within a certain time frame to keep him from overdosing himself accidentally and the night before he’d awoken all but screaming in agony because the drugs had worn off. He’d managed to get to his button, but it had taken several minutes for the drugs to take effect and he’d had to bite his lip so hard it bled to keep from screaming and freaking out his neighbours.

He looked up at the plate again and wondered if it were possible to hate an inanimate object any more than he currently hated this plate. He’d been so drugged up the previous day he’d spent the bulk of it asleep and hadn’t felt the need to eat at all. Now he was starving, but the damn plates were too high for him to reach. Finally he decided to try and find another way to get the plate down, and after a few moments thought, he clocked on an idea of how he might do it. Heading into his hallway he managed to get the cupboard door open and pulled out an old walking stick he had from when he’d hurt his ankle a little while back –Jack had bought it for him as a joke, but it actually turned out to be quite useful-. With a determined look in his eyes he headed back into the kitchen and lifted the walking stick up until it hooked onto the edge of the plate and began to pull as quickly as his arm would allow.

\--

Owen strode down the hallway toward Ianto’s flat. He knew it was highly possible Ianto would be asleep but he didn’t care, he wanted to make sure the other man was all right. He could have blown his top when Jack had told him he’d allowed Ianto to go home alone, but somehow the tone in Jack’s voice kept him from voicing his annoyance at the immortal man. Jack was hurting, and while Owen wasn’t sure why, he was loath to make it any worse for the man.

He reached the door and raised his hand to knock, only to freeze when he heard a loud crash come from within the flat followed soon after by a heavy thump.

“Ianto!” he called frantically, banging on the door. “Ianto!”

When he got no answer he tried the door knob and finding it locked he stepped back ready to ram it open. He was about to when he remembered that Jack had given him a key to Ianto’s flat before he’d left the UNIT hospital and asked Owen to keep it away from him so he didn’t use it. Thankful that at least his short term memory seemed to be working fine he ripped the key out of his pocket and slipped it hurriedly into the lock. Throwing the door open he ran inside immediately spotting Ianto sitting on the kitchen floor, surrounded by broken crockery, blood dripping from a gash on the top of his head.

Owen flew to his side, pulling a tea towel off the handle of the oven door and pressing it to the gash. He felt Ianto tense at the contact so he spoke to reassure the Welshman of who he was.

“It’s okay, Ianto,” he said softly, feeling the injured man relax.

“Owen,” Ianto mumbled quietly.

“Yeah it’s Owen,” Owen replied softly. “What were you doing?” he asked, alarmed by all the broken crockery on the floor.

“Was hungry, trying to get a plate down,” Ianto mumbled groggily in reply.

Owen sighed, shaking his head. Ianto shouldn’t be alone; it was stupid to think he’d be okay. “Do you think you can get up?” he asked the Welshman.

“Think so,” Ianto replied and Owen slowly helped him to his feet.

He got Ianto to the couch and sat him down before heading back to the kitchen to get an ice pack and the first aid kit Ianto had in his cupboard. Thankfully, the injured man worked for Torchwood so he had a decent first aid kit complete with morphine and sutures. 

He returned to the couch to find Ianto trying to lift his hand up to touch his head. Owen got him to relax and pulled the towel away so he could get a better look at the injury. It wasn’t too severe, but it would need stitches. He told Ianto as much and the Welshman just nodded, sitting still while Owen stitched him up.

As soon as he was done Owen helped Ianto lie down on the couch before disappearing back into the kitchen to clean up all the crockery. When he returned to the lounge room he found Ianto curled up on the couch with tears streaming down his face. He felt so bad for the poor man, he may not remember much about his life, but he remembered what kind of person Ianto was and he knew as difficult as it would be for anyone else to lose the use of their arms, it would be doubly difficult for Ianto who was the king of self sufficiency and spent so much of his life looking after everyone else.

He slid down onto the floor in front of the couch and lay his head down next to Ianto’s. He reached out and wiped the tears from the Welshman’s face before gently caressing Ianto’s cheek. Ianto closed his eyes and leant into the touch, more tears escaping from beneath his closed lids.

“It’s going to be okay,” Owen whispered. “I promise.”

Ianto opened his eyes and looked back at him, the expression on his face telling Owen that he wanted to believe him. They stared at each other for what felt like hours before Ianto’s eyes slowly slid shut and Owen watched as the young Welshman slipped into a peaceful sleep. Owen waited until he was sure the young man was well and truly asleep before slipping quietly out of the apartment. There were some things he needed to see to.

XXX

Ianto wasn’t sure how much later it was when he finally woke up again but he was immediately aware of the heavenly smell of food what was filling his apartment. He opened his eyes when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and found Owen leaning over him.

“Hey,” the doctor greeted softly. “How are you feeling?”

Ianto stopped for a second to take stock of his body before replying. “A little sore, but not too bad.”

Owen nodded. “I got some dinner for us. You like pasta don’t you?” he asked.

Ianto nodded. “Yeah I do,” he replied. “Thank you,”

Owen helped him sit up before returning to the kitchen and remerging a few moments later with two bowls of ravioli and two glasses of water on a tray. “I know you’re not supposed to have alcohol or caffeine until you’ve fully recovered so I thought water would be the best bet,” he said, putting the tray down on the coffee table in front of the couch. He handed one bowl to Ianto before heading over to the TV.

“Do you want to watch something?” he asked.

“I don’t mind, whatever you like,” Ianto replied, watching as Owen turned on the TV and flicked through the channels until he found something good to watch. Once he was done he sat down next to Ianto and picked up his own bowl.

“Are you going to be okay to eat?” he asked gently; obviously not wanting to upset Ianto.

Ianto nodded. “Yeah, I can do that okay,” he replied with a gentle smile. “Thanks though.”

Owen nodded. “Okay, tell me when you want a drink and I’ll pass you your cup,” he said before settling down to eat.

Ianto half watched the TV and half watched Owen all the way through dinner. He still found the other man’s actions curious, but he had to admit he actually liked having the doctor there with him, his presence was surprisingly soothing. After dinner they sat a little while longer watching TV before Ianto started to get tired again. He dreaded going to sleep, knowing he’d likely wake up in agony like he had the night before, but the need for sleep was winning out.

He turned to look at Owen, knowing he should tell him but not wanting the other man to go. In the end he decided to stay where he was and just let sleep claim him whenever it wanted to. He was already lying down on the couch now at Owen’s insistence -the Doctor had migrated to one of the other couches after dinner-. He’d gone and got Ianto a blanket and a pillow and insisted he lie down, so he had, not having the energy to fight with the doctor over the couch.

He stared at the screen for a while longer before sleep eventually claimed him. If he didn’t see Owen leave he could at least pretend he was still there. 

\--

Owen awoke around midnight to the sound of Ianto sobbing quietly. When he’d realised that Ianto was asleep earlier he’d done a little rearranging of the furniture and made himself up a bed on the floor next to the couch. After throwing another blanket over Ianto and making sure he was warm, Owen had slid into his own bed to sleep, thinking about the conversation he was going to have to have with the Welshman the following day.

It hadn’t taken him long to fall asleep, he’d been pretty tired. Now however he was instantly awake and he looked over at Ianto to find the young Welshman lying on the couch, writhing in agony, his face a mask of pain. He immediately crawled over to Ianto and placed a gentle hand on his cheek to soothe him.

“Ssh, it’s okay,” he whispered, gently stroking Ianto’s hair. 

Ianto stilled slightly and Owen used the opportunity to press the button on Ianto’s most easily accessible caste which he knew was meant to deliver pain relief. He’d heard the doctors talking about it while they were putting the casts on Ianto and was extremely grateful he’d been paying attention.

As soon as he’d pressed both he went back to gently stroking Ianto’s hair, whispering softly to him until his face relaxed and he stilled completely. As soon as he was sure Ianto was asleep again Owen returned to his bed and crawled back under the blankets, chilled to the bone by what he’d just seen. He’d use that new information when he spoke to Ianto the following day, there was no way in hell he was going to leave him alone after that.

\--

Ianto awoke the following morning to the smell of bacon and eggs. Confused, he looked up at the clock and was surprised to find it was 8 in the morning. He hadn’t woken up the night before in pain, why not? And who was cooking food?

He heard footsteps approaching and looked up to find Owen looking down at him once more. 

“Morning,” the young doctor greeted. “How are you feeling?” 

“Okay, thank you,” Ianto replied. “How are you?”

“Good thanks,” Owen replied. “Breakfast will be ready soon. Do you want to eat where you are?” he asked.

“Okay,” Ianto replied and Owen disappeared back into the kitchen. 

He returned a few moments later with two plates of bacon and eggs and Ianto grinned when he saw that Owen had already cut all but the toast up into bite sized pieces. 

Owen noticed his grin and returned it with one of his own. “Can’t make you do too much work now can I?” he asked before starting on his breakfast.

Ianto knew he should be upset about having to have his food cut up for him, but he honestly found it so damn amusing to see his food pre-cut he couldn’t help but find the whole situation funny. He was also feeling mildly giddy about the fact that Owen was still there with him, he’d expected to wake up alone and in pain.

They ate silently and when they were done Owen washed the dishes before returning to the lounge room. He plonked himself down on the coffee table he’d moved back to its position in front of the couch and looked at Ianto.

“You can’t be alone, Ianto,” he began. “I know you’re used to being Mr Independent but you can’t do that this time. You need help, whether you like it or not. Now I know I’m not your favourite person on the planet, (actually right now he was) everyone’s told me we don’t exactly have a stellar past, but I’m not going to leave you on your own. That being said I think you should come and stay with me while you get better and before you argue with me about it hear me out okay. My apartment is bigger so we’d each have a bedroom and a bathroom to ourselves, it’s closer to the city so everything’s in walking distance and if, for some reason, I’m not around and you want something to eat or drink there’s a little place at the bottom of the building that will make anything you want and deliver it up to the room.” 

“I’ve already made your room up, I have very nice, high thread count, Egyptian cotton sheets on the bed, but if you want to bring your own you can, you can even bring your own pillows and blanket if you want to, but if you don’t everything’s all set up you just have to pack anything else you want to bring. You can bring anything you want with you, I’ll carry it all down to the car. You can have full control of the TV if you want it, if I bug you at any time you can tell me to go away and I will. I am a very good host and I will take very good care of you while you’re recovering. Now you can be as mad at me as you want to, but I am NOT leaving you alone. I’m sorry if you don’t like it but tough, you’re stuck with me. Now I will stay here if you want me to but I think we’d be better off at my place. It’s up to you, what do you want to do?” Owen finished, looking at Ianto expectantly.

Ianto resisted the urge to chuckle at Owen’s stubbornness and nodded. “Okay, Owen, I’ll come and stay with you,” he agreed. He almost laughed again at the relieved expression that crossed the doctor’s face as he said it.

“Okay,” Owen said with a nod. “We’d best get you packed then, do you have luggage?”

Ianto nodded and showed Owen where it was. He got it down and they headed into Ianto’s room to pack up what the Welshman needed to take. About halfway through the packing process a thought occurred to Ianto. “Hey, why aren’t you at work?” he asked.

“I’m not allowed at work until Martha figures out what’s wrong with me,” Owen replied. “I’d like to say I’m sorry about that, but I’m really not.”

“Really? I thought you loved your job,” Ianto asked.

“Oh I do. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a doctor. I’m just happy to have a little time off and be able to help you out. I really didn’t want you to be by yourself,” Owen explained.

Ianto felt warmed by those words and smiled despite the awfulness of the situation. He watched the doctor moving around the room packing the things Ianto asked him to and suddenly felt extremely grateful for whatever memory loss Owen was experiencing. He didn’t want the man to be having troubles, but it was so nice to have someone around who honestly just wanted to help him.

By the time the packing was done Owen had half the apartment in bags and boxes. Ianto tried to tell the doctor he didn’t need it all, but Owen was convinced Ianto would be more comfortable if he had as much stuff from his own apartment with him as possible. Soon Owen had it all down in the car and Ianto was looking around the apartment to make sure he didn’t need anything else. Really he already knew he didn’t, but Owen had insisted on it. Finally they were locking up the apartment and heading down to Owen’s car. 

As they moved through the apartment complex Ianto snuggled deeper into the coat UNIT had given him before he’d left the hospital, feeling more than a little self conscious. The coat had to be big enough to accommodate the huge metal casts on his arms and because of that it was far too big for him and made him look homeless. Still, he wasn’t about to go out and about without something covering him, people would freak.

He slid into Owen’s car, thankful the other man had left the top up, and breathed a sigh of relief when he was once more out of sight.

“You okay?” Owen asked as he slid into the driver’s side.

Ianto nodded. “I’m fine,” he lied, giving the doctor his best reassuring smile.

“Oh yeah, that’s convincing,” Owen replied sarcastically before starting the car and turning to look at Ianto. “Don’t lie because you think it’s what I want to hear. Tell me the truth, okay, I can’t help if you don’t,” he said quietly.

Ianto looked down at his hands. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

He looked up when he felt Owen’s hand on his. “Don’t apologise, you haven’t done anything wrong,” the doctor gently chastised. “I just want to help you, please let me.”

Ianto nodded and Owen moved his hands back to the steering wheel and waited for a gap in the traffic.

The ride over to Owen’s apartment was spent in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. When they got there Owen opened the door and led Ianto inside.

Ianto had never been inside Owen’s apartment during the day so he took a moment to take it all in. It was absolutely gorgeous, tidy, which surprised Ianto greatly and the view was spectacular.

“Okay, now I know why you wanted to come back here rather than staying at my place,” he stated in awe. 

 Owen chuckled. “I fell in love with this place the moment I saw it,” he admitted. “I always wanted to settle in Cardiff and when Jack offered me the job with Torchwood I decided I’d find myself somewhere nice, somewhere that didn’t remind me of Katie, and this place was perfect.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories,” Ianto said quietly.

“Oh no, don’t worry you didn’t. I mean, I’ll always miss Katie, but it’s actually nice to think about her now,” Owen replied with a smile. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room,” he suggested, leading Ianto down the hallway. “That’s the laundry,” he pointed to a door on the left, “study,” he pointed to one on the right, other rooms, he motioned to another set of doors opposite each other. They reached the end of the hallway and pointed to the door on the right. “That side’s my room (Ianto already knew that but he didn’t say anything) and this one is yours,” Owen finished, opening the door on the left and leading Ianto inside.

“Wow,” Ianto gasped when he walked in. Like Owen’s room one of the walls was comprised entirely of floor to ceiling windows. The head of the massive king-sized bed was pushed up against the wall to the right of the door and the bed was made up in light blue sheets with a sapphire and royal blue doona cover and about a million pillows. The bed itself was made of a dark brown wood and had bedside tables to match on either side, complete with lamps. The wall separating his room from Owen’s had a tall bookcase and an entertainment unit constructed of the same dark wood as the bed. The bookshelf was empty, the entertainment unit however was filled with a flat screen TV, DVD, blue ray and Video player, an impressive sound system and an assortment of DVDs. The other wall that wasn’t filled with windows had a walk-in-robe which lead through to the ensuite, complete with a toilet, shower, sink and even a bath tub. It was gorgeous.

“Owen this is … you didn’t do all of this for me did you?” Ianto asked.

“Would it matter if I did?” Owen asked from the doorway, where he was leaning with his hands in his pockets, watching Ianto’s reaction. 

Ianto turned around to face him and it was only then that he realised how nervous Owen looked. “No,” he replied, “I don’t suppose it does. I guess I just don’t want to have caused you any unnecessary trouble.”

“You’re worth the trouble,” Owen replied, moving away from the door to stand in front of him. “Do you like it?” he asked, still looking somewhat nervous.

Ianto nodded, “Yeah I do,” he replied with a smile. “Thank you.”

Owen smiled back. “You’re welcome,” he replied, turning to head back to the door. “I’ll go get the rest of your stuff.”

“No, Owen, I mean thank you, really, for everything,” Ianto said before he reached the door.

Owen stopped and headed back to stand in front of him. He studied Ianto’s face for a moment before leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. “You’re welcome,” he whispered into Ianto’s ear before pulling away and heading for the door again, leaving a rather dazed Ianto in his wake. “I’ll go grab your stuff, make yourself at home,” Owen called over his shoulder as he left the room.

Ianto moved over to the bed and carefully lowered himself down. His heart was racing in his chest and he was finding it a little hard to breathe all of a sudden. He knew Owen had an effect on him, he’d known since that first night they’d spent together all those months ago, he’d just forgotten how strong it was. What was happening? What was going through Owen’s mind? Did he actually want Ianto now? After everything that had happened between them Ianto hadn’t thought he did, but now he wasn’t so sure. This selective memory loss of Owen’s was so confusing; Ianto had no idea what to do. 

Should he ask Owen what was going on? He thought about that option for a moment. Asking Owen what was going on would probably lead to an awkward conversation, possibly even a fight and Ianto really didn’t have the energy to fight at the moment. After much deliberation he decided to leave things the way they were and see what happened. After all, Owen was probably going to get his memory back eventually and things would likely go back to normal anyway.

 

That thought made him stop. What would happen when Owen got his memory back? He’d just done all of this for Ianto, would he freak out when he was back to normal and kick Ianto out? Just then Owen returned to the room with a whole lot of Ianto’s stuff and he pushed those thoughts aside. He knew he should probably ask Owen about it now before all his stuff was up here, but the other man had been so good to him he really didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Instead he helped Owen get his stuff unpacked and put away before watching Owen make lunch and sitting out on the balcony, that jutted off the lounge-room, with the Londoner eating it. He’d worry about Owen’s memory when and if it did eventually return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Ianto, he's having a hard time and now he has to deal with the confusion of Owen's behaviour. Oh well, at least he's not alone now and Owen is being very nice to him. More soon hopefully, let me know what you think xxoo
> 
> Kayla

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little teaser, what do we think? Should I continue posting?
> 
> thanks for reading
> 
> Kayla


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